The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus for iris authentication, a photographing module for iris authentication, and a terminal having the photographing apparatus for iris authentication, and more specifically, to a photographing apparatus for iris authentication which is used for an identification system and can be employed as a general camera and for iris authentication purposes by using a band pass filter that transmits some of wavelengths in visible ray areas as well as wavelengths of infrared areas, with the use of a filter for filtering incident beams, a photographing module for iris authentication which photographs, converts, and codes iris patterns by being equipped with a photographing apparatus for iris authentication that photographs iris patterns and an image conversion module that codes the photographed iris patterns, and a terminal having the photographing apparatus for iris authentication.
When visitors are coming and going from the building or accessing machinery or data to use it, the identification system is used to keep safe and control the access by authenticating the visitors. Such a prior identification system usually authenticates visitors through password inputting or cards, but nowadays a biometric authentication system which uses biological features of a human being is largely accepted so as to increase security. The biometric authentication system recognizes special features of the human body such as fingerprints, voice, facial shapes, venous patterns, and the iris of a visitor, and compares the recognized features with registered data to identify a recognized person (visitor). Particularly, the iris of a person has different patterns, and these iris patterns are complete between 2 and 3 years after the person's birth, and rarely change since then. Furthermore, the iris patterns show excellent benefits compared to other features of the human body in terms of diversity and a distinctive property. Therefore, various technologies of identifying visitors by using the iris are recently suggested for some places that require high-level security, such as entrances of buildings or safes of banks.
The above identification system through iris authentication generally consists of: a photographing apparatus for photographing iris patterns of a recognized person; an image reader for reading an image of the iris patterns inputted after being photographed by the photographing apparatus; a storage for storing the read image (iris pattern images) and the compared image (iris authentication image) of the iris patterns; and a controller for confirming the read results of the image reader. Thus, since the identification system through iris authentication identifies the visitor by comparing the iris pattern image photographed by the photographing apparatus with the pre-registered iris authentication image, performance of the photographing apparatus would be a very important factor.
A prior photographing apparatus for iris authentication comprises: a camera for photographing iris patterns of a recognized person and sending the photographed iris patterns; a lighting means for providing a light necessary for the photographing of the camera; a distance measurer (sensor) for measuring a distance up to the iris from the camera; and a focal distance controller for controlling a focal distance of a lens according to a signal inputted from the distance measurer. The above prior photographing apparatus for iris authentication controls the iris of the recognized person such that the controlled iris can be accorded with a focal shaft of the camera, and measures the distance up to the iris through the distance measurer to control a lens focus of the camera according to the measured distance, then photographs an iris image. Accordingly, it requires a series of processes of measuring the distance up to the iris from the camera and controlling the lens focus according to the measured distance, consuming a lot of time for photographing an iris pattern image of the visitor. As a result, the distance measurer for automatic focus controlling and the controller for controlling the distance measurer are indispensable, causing a structure to be complicated to increase a cost.
In addition, the prior photographing apparatus for iris authentication uses an analog-type camera, thereby requiring a separate converting device for converting the photographed iris patterns into a digital signal. Moreover, a very high intensity of illumination is demanded, resulting in an installation of a separate lighting apparatus and a lighting controller. Thus, it produces a complex structure.
To solve these problems, a photographing apparatus for iris authentication which uses a digital camera has been suggested. However, the digital camera itself has a problem that a quality of a photographed image largely depends on brightness and a location of a lighting apparatus. Especially, in case an object is photographed with the digital camera in a poorly-illuminated condition, the image may be partially stained apart from peripheral color arrangements. So, it is impossible to exactly photograph the object for iris authentication in such a low-intensity environment, thereby requiring a high-intensity light source having more than a certain level. In particular, if an LED lamp is used as a light source, a lot of LED lamps are essential, causing a problem that a structure for controlling the lamps gets complicated while a manufacturing cost is increased. Furthermore, the photographing apparatus may be larger in weight and size, making it difficult to carry the apparatus. And, it needs a wide installation space. As a result, it is unavailable to universally use the prior photographing apparatus like a general camera, except using it for iris authentication purposes only due to a limited installation space.